China - Autonomous driving technology startup, Zhijia Technology Company, headquartered in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, has been awarded a government licence to carry out trials of driverless heavy-duty trucks on China’s open roads.

Zhija, established in 2016, is understood to be the first company in China to be awarded a licence to carry out heavy-duty autonomous truck trials on the country’s open roads. The company successfully raised USD200m in 2021 to fund its research and development into autonomous truck technologies, with backers including Chinese components manufacturer, Wanxiang Group and private equity firms, Guotai Junan International and Citic Group.

Last October, the company successfully demonstrated its driverless heavy-duty truck technologies in trials conducted on an expressway in Suzhou, during the 29th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems, using trucks supplied by Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group (JAC). The company said this gave it a chance to demonstrate the safety and reliability of its autonomous heavy-duty truck technologies on actual roads in real conditions.

Self-driving heavy-duty trucks are expected to play a significant role in long-distance trucking in China in the future, as they are expected to help reduce transportation costs and increase efficiency.

Rong Li, CEO of Zhijia Technology, told local reporters in Suzhou:

Compared with developed countries, logistics costs make up a much higher proportion of China's GDP. Road freight comprises the largest share of China's logistics industry, and long-haul logistics makes up a trillion-yuan market in China.